Table of Contents
Background
Water and wastewater rates have been hot topics in Central Elgin since before this term began, and many of our current members of council made campaign promises around managing the prices of these services. So it was no surprise that members of council wanted to address these costs during the 2026 budget process.
What was a surprise to me was the proposed solution: to keep the base rate steady for an easy good news story and increase the cubic use rate to align with the rate in the City of St. Thomas. There’s not such thing as a one-size-fits-all-municipalities solution, and this price model is more financially favorable to seasonal community members, and places more burden on those who live here full-time.
By averaging our consumption rates, staff agree that it would be possible to present a pricing model where the base rate – which seasonal residents pay whether their cottages are occupied or not – would be higher, and the cubic rate – the rate you pay based on your usage – would be lower. This would allow for seasonal owners, short term rental owners, etc to continue to contribute towards asset replacement and repair, regardless of the season.
Motion
THAT alternative pricing models for water and wastewater be investigated.
Decision of Council
This motion was discussed on January 26, 2026 and defeated.
For
- Michelle Graham
- Morgaine Griffin
- Dave Baughman
Against
- Norm Watson
- Dave Connors
- Todd Noble
- Andrew Sloan